Attachment for neck-yokes



(No Model.)

J. H. DURKEE & J.. M. KING. ATTACHMENT FOR NECK YOKES No. 551,183. Patented Dec. 10,1895.

Ewe/130715- JwRCS flUQaf/ieQ gal NiTEED STATES v OFFICE,

JAMES HENREY DURKEE AND JAMES MADISON KING, OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA.

ATTACHMENT FOR N ECK-YOKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,183, dated December 10, 1895.

Application filed March 25, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES HENEEY DUR- KEE and JAMES MADISON KING, of Rochester, Olmsted county,'Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Neck-Yokes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide an attachment for neck-yokes, which will be applicable to any ordinary neck-yoke and which will prevent the lines from getting under the end of the tongue or pole, thereby obviating the necessity of often going in front of the team to take the lines from under the end of the tongue or pole and prevent the many accidents which often occur when the lines get into this position and the team becomes frightened or unmanageable. The attachment also serves to prevent the tongue or pole from dropping upon the ground by having the'neck-yoke slip off from the end of it when a tug or trace becomes broken or unhitched.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of a tongue and neck-yoke with our improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the neck-yoke slipped off the end of tongue, the tongue being supported by the chain. Fig. 3 is a detail of the neck-yoke and chain separate from the tongue or pole.

In the drawings, 2 represents the end of the pole or tongue, which may be of any or dinary or preferred construction, provided with the stop-lug 3 and with the iron 5, which extends over the end, forming a loop at the end of the tongue.

7 is a neck-yoke of the ordinary construction, provided with the ring 9, adapted to slip over the end of the tongue. On this neckyoke, preferably on the bottom side and near each end, we provide the screw-eyes or rings 11. A chain 13 is secured at one end in one of the screw-eyes, and it is provided at the other end with a snap 15, adapted to snap $erial No. 543,038. (No model.)

into the ring or screw-eye at the other end of the neck-yoke. After the neck-yoke is put into position on the end of the tongue the free end of the chain 13 is carried through the loop formed by the iron 5 on the end of the pole, and the snap 15 is engaged with the ring or screw-eye 11 at the other end of the neckyoke. By this means a guard is formed extending from near each end of the neckyoke around the end of the tongue, so as to prevent the lines, when they are slack, from dropping down and catching under the end of the tongue. The chain 13 will prevent the lines from getting under the end of the tongue, thereby saving all danger of the team becoming unmanageable from this cause, also obviating the necessity of going in front of the team, as often occurs when this device is not used, for the purpose of keeping the lines from under the end of the tongue or pole. Should the tug become broken or unhitched, the neck-yoke, instead of slipping off and permitting the pole to drop down, will slip off the end of the pole and be held by the chain, as shown in Fig. 2. No change whatever is required in the pole or neck-yoke.

The attachment is applied to the neck-yoke and becomes a permanent part thereof and is at all times with it in position to be used whenever the neck-yoke is used. The device is therefore very efficient in preventing accidents by the lines catching under the end of the pole, and also by preventing the pole from dropping down upon the ground in case the tugs or any of them become broken or unhitched.

It is obvious that a strap or rope may be used in place of the chain 13 with equally good results, and thereby the rattle of the chain will be avoided.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination, with the pole 2 provided with the loop 5 upon its end, of the single inflexible yoke 7 provided with the rings or screw eyes near its opposite ends, and with a ring near its central portion to pass over the end of said pole, the chain or strap 13 hav- 111g one end secured to one of said rings or In testimony whereof We have hereunto set screw eyes and provided upon its opposite our hands this 16th day of 1VIarch,A.D.1S95.

end with the snap 15, said chain being adapt- JAMES I'IENREY DURKEE. ed to pass through the loop 5, and to slide JAMES MADISON KING.

5 freely therein, and to be engaged by the snap In presence of- 15 with one of the rings or screw eyes 11, sub- JOHN EDGAR,

stantially as described. J. IV. SOULE. 

